Jones County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a domestic assault of a female by a male in progress on Houston Road on Sunday afternoon.

JCSD Sergeant Derick Knight arrived on the scene first and found Gabriel Rivera, age 29, and the female victim standing outside the home. Rivera was being questioned when he reached into a vehicle supposedly to get his identification, grabbed a lunchbox, and ran inside the home with Sgt. Knight in close pursuit on foot.

Immediately as Rivera entered the home, he produced a handgun from the lunchbox and ducked into a bedroom. Sergeant Knight took cover in another bedroom with his service weapon drawn and began commanding Rivera to drop his weapon and come out of the bedroom where he was hiding.

Rivera looked around the bedroom doorframe before ducking back inside the room. He then reportedly threw the firearm out of the bedroom window and surrendered. Deputy Harrison Tew arrived on scene and assisted Sgt. Knight in taking Rivera into custody.

Gabriel Rivera is charged with Domestic Assault and Possession of a Controlled Substance While In Possession of a Firearm. He is incarcerated at the Jones County Adult Detention Facility. The female assault victim declined medical treatment.

Sheriff Joe Berlin notes, “Domestic incidents are among the most dangerous calls responded to by law enforcement officers. Fortunately, the situation was resolved without any shots being fired. It was certainly a tense standoff inside the residence for what probably seemed like an eternity for Sergeant Knight.”